Books for children

Now out in paperback, The Scariest Thing Of All by Debi Gliori (Bloomsbury; €8.35) tells the story of a small rabbit’s fears.

Because he’s so tiny everything scares him. So when he hears the wail of bagpipes one evening he runs away. But there are scarier things beyond the rabbit warren. However, logic wins out when he discovers that what he was most scared of is not so scary after all. Debi Gliori’s atmospheric, fun illustrations are a joy. The perfect book to share at bedtime — especially with a child who might have night fears, for age three and upwards.

Luck by Roger McGough (Frances Lincoln; €7.10) draws the young reader into the world of poetry with humour and the playful juggling of words. Short and pithy, such as, Is a dinner lady/What cannibals eat for dinner?/ If you eat your words/ Will you grow thinner? Is a potholer a gunman who shoots holes in pots? McGough’s play with words is laugh-aloud fun, but, at the same time stamps the delight of poetry on young minds. Suitable for age nine and upwards.

The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker (Usborne; €8.35) Sherry has spent over three years in an underground bunker to escape from what we may deduce is the other life — ie a world inhabited by a race of mutant zombies who, as humans, were infected by a strain of rabies. When her father is captured by the zombies, or Weepers as they are known, Sherry and the enigmatic Joshua set out to find him.

The dystopian novel charts the horrors experienced by Sherry and Joshua, as well as their developing relationship, but doesn’t suggest the possibility of setting up any line of communication between the survivors and the dreaded Weepers. The post-apocalyptic landscape of zombie-infested Los Angeles is credibly presented’.

Suitable for young adult.